Confetti pie

Confetti pie 

1 prepared graham cracker crust

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 can (15.25oz) crushed pineapple, well drained

1 cup maraschino cherries, drained & chopped

½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 can sweetened (Eagle Brand) Sweetened Condensed Milk

5 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice

1½ cups whipped topping

In a large bowl, combine coconut, crushed pineapple, maraschino cherries, pecans, (Eagle Brand) Sweetened Condensed Milk, lemon juice and maraschino cherry juice.

Gently fold in whipped topping. Pour into crust.

Decorate with additional whipped topping and cherries if desired. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Granola

I've made other granola recipes but this is by far the best one I've made. This recipe is similar to one I found on another site, but I made it more my own recipe. Next time I think I will need to double this recipe because it is so good it's addicting. OH, and try it in your yogurt to add some crunch and that special something to take the boring yogurt over the top. I like to add a couple tablespoons of cool whip to my yogurt too. Really makes for a light and delicious breakfast.

Granola 

4 cups old fashioned oats (NOT quick oats)

1 cup salted sunflower nuts or sliced almonds

1 cup raisins , craisins or other dried fruit (I prefer raisins)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbl. water or 1 Tbl water and 1 Tbl oil

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 300º. 

In a large mixing bowl, toss together oats, dried fruit and sliced almonds, set aside.

 In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, water, cinnamon, and salt, bring mixture to a boil stirring frequently. Once mixture reaches a boil, allow to boil for 1 minute whisking constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and baking soda and whisk until mixture is foamy, about 10 seconds. 

Carefully pour hot sugar mixture over oat mixture and toss to evenly coat. Spread mixture into an even layer on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. 

Bake in preheated oven, about 36 - 40 minutes until golden brown, removing from oven and tossing twice during baking. Watch carefully it can burn quickly.

 Remove from oven, allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Granola will crisp as it cools. Beware, this is highly addictive. hehe Enjoy!

Blueberry Jell-O Salad

Ingredients

• 2 c. boiling water
• 2 3 oz boxes blackberry Jell-O
• 1 16 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 can blueberry pie filling
Topping
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbls. sugar
• 1 16 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed

Instructions

• In a large bowl combine Jell-O and boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Mix in pineapple and pie filling. Pour into 9x13 inch pan and refrigerate about 2 hours until firm.
• Topping: Mix cream cheese and sugar together well. Stir in Cool Whip. Spread over set Jell-O. Refrigerate at least half an hour before serving.
• This recipe is also yummy using cherry Jell-O and cherry pie filling!

**Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes

CrockPot BBQ Ribs

                                                     3 pounds baby back ribs trimmed

 salt and ground black pepper, to taste

 1/2 cup water

 1/2 onion, sliced onion

1 cup of your Favorite BBQ sauce

Season ribs with salt and pepper.

Pour water into slow cooker. Layer the ribs into the slow cooker. Top the ribs with onion and BBQ sauce. 

Cook on High for 4 hours (or Low for 8 hours).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Transfer ribs to a baking sheet. Discard onion and garlic. Coat ribs with desired amount of BBQ sauce.

Bake in preheated oven until the sauce caramelizes and sticks to the meat, 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve!

Peep Krispie Treats

Peep Krispies Treats

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter or margarine (divided)

4 3-ounce packages Marshmallow Peeps (in 4 different colors)

6 cups Crispy Rice cereal (divided)

Instructions

Prepare an 8-9" loaf pan by lining with foil and spraying lightly with cooking spray.

Divide the Peeps by 11s of the same color - 11 pink, 11 yellow, 11 purple, 11 blue or whatever colors you like.

In a deep, medium sized microwaveable dish, microwave 11 of the same color peeps with 1 tablespoon of butter on high for 45 seconds. Watch closely so the Peeps don't flow over the sides of the bowl. Stir butter and Peeps together until fully melted and incorporated. Stir in 1½ cups of cereal until fully coated. Press firmly, with buttered hands, into the loaf pan. Having several bowls ready to mix in really helps the process go more smoothly. Washing one while the other is being used. You don't want the colors to mix.

Repeat steps 3-4 with the other Peeps colors.

Allow to cool completely, around 2 hours, remove from pan, and slice.  I cut the pan into fourths, then cut each slice into half. 

Bell pepper boats

When I'm feeling rushed or a bit on the lazy side, I will use leftover taco meat in the pepper shells. Add some salsa to the meat, put in the boat's, top with the cheese, heat and eat. Mmmm, either way it's very good.

Bell pepper boats.

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup salsa

1 cup grated cheddar jack cheese 

3 bell peppers (red and yellow are sweeter)

Directions

Remove seeds, core, and membrane from bell peppers then slice each one into 6 vertical pieces where they dip down. Set sliced bell peppers aside.

Cook ground turkey over medium-high heat, breaking up as it cooks. Cook until the turkey loses its pink color and is cooked through. Drain off any fat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine cooked turkey with spices and salsa. Evenly distribute mixture into the bell pepper boats, top with cheese. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers are hot.

Remove from the oven and add additional toppings, If desired, such as sour cream, scallions, or extra cheese. :)

Ginger snaps

This is one of my grandma's recipes and a family favorite for years. My mom watched grandma make these cookies many times to get the measurements down. You see, grandma baked by sight and feel, measuring with handsfull of this and pinches of that.  I hope that you enjoy these cookies as much as we do and Happy baking.

Grandma’s Ginger Snaps

1 c. sugar                        

1 TBL. ginger

1 c. shortening                  

1 c. Sorgum or molasses

1 egg                                 

4 c. or more of a. p flour

2 TBL. hot water                

 1 tsp. vanilla

1 TBL. soda ( mix in the hot water)

Mix sugar and shortening until creamy, add egg. Add soda to hot water mix and mix into the sugar mixture. Add molasses, ginger and mix well. Then gradually mix in the flour until a workable consistency. 

Roll into one inch balls and place on greased cookies sheets. Press thin with glass dipped in sugar.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. The time is a guess as each oven bakes differently. Watch for browning.

Cool on wire rack. Enjoy.